Career & application guide

Fishing and Hunting Workers

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What do fishing and hunting workers do?

Hunt, trap, catch, or gather wild animals or aquatic animals and plants. May use nets, traps, or other equipment. May haul catch onto ship or other vessel.

This describes a U.S. occupation, not a live vacancy. Individual employers may use different titles and requirements.

Job titles to recognize in your search

O*NET reports these titles for this occupation. Compare the responsibilities in each posting before treating titles as equivalent.

  • Commercial Fisherman
  • Commercial Fishing Vessel Operator
  • Deckhand
  • Fisherman
  • Fur Trapper
  • Hunter
  • Lobster Fisherman
  • Nuisance Trapper

Core tasks to compare with a job posting

  • Steer vessels and operate navigational instruments.
  • Remove catches from fishing equipment and measure them to ensure compliance with legal size.
  • Direct fishing or hunting operations, and supervise crew members.
  • Interpret weather and vessel conditions to determine appropriate responses.
  • Travel on foot, by vehicle, or by equipment such as boats, snowmobiles, helicopters, snowshoes, or skis to reach hunting areas.
  • Select, bait, and set traps, and lay poison along trails, according to species, size, habits, and environs of birds or animals and reasons for trapping them.
  • Maintain engines, fishing gear, and other on-board equipment and perform minor repairs.
  • Connect accessories such as floats, weights, flags, lights, or markers to nets, lines, or traps.
  • Wash decks, conveyors, knives, and other equipment, using brushes, detergents, and water.
  • Harvest marine life for human or animal consumption, using diving or dredging equipment, traps, barges, rods, reels, or tackle.

Prepare an application for this occupation

  1. Check the employer’s requirements, location, schedule and any licenses against your situation.
  2. Choose two or three tasks above that match the posting and your actual experience.
  3. Build a resume evidence worksheet using the skills and software relevant to that employer.
  4. Practice explaining your contribution, decisions and results before an interview.

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